The Chinese Lion Dance goes back some 1,000 years. The first record of the performance of an early form of the Lion Dance dates to the early Ch’in and Han Dynasties in the 3^rd Century BC.  The lions express joy and happiness from the fourth to the fifteenth day of the Chinese New Year, with Lion Dance groups touring from village to village in traditional China.

Both lions and dragons are prominent figures in New Year’s parades and other celebrations throughout the year. The Lion Dance also plays an important role in the consecrations of temples and other buildings, at business openings, planting and harvest times, official celebrations and religious rites.

It is such a special tradition that Albuquerque’s newest Asian restaurant, Best Lee’s Asian Gourmet, decided to commemorate their recent grand opening with a Lion Dance performed by the Nan Bei Wushu, a local Chinese Kung Fu Lion Dance school.

Best Lee’s is Mr. Xing Lee’s third restaurant venture in New Mexico. The first one was Super China Buffet on Rio Bravo Blvd SW in Albuquerque, which has been open since 2004. His second endeavor was the first Best Lee’s Chinese Restaurant, located at the Southern Plaza Shopping Center in Rio Rancho, which has been serving traditional Chinese cuisine since 2006.

The new location of Best Lee’s has a different menu with exquisite presentation, innovative dishes and an open kitchen. They provide an interesting blend of traditional Chinese and Thai food.  The menu is encyclopedic in size, offering over 100 choices. Most of the Chef’s Specialties are Asian fusion, which incorporates the two different heritages and combines them into dishes that include flavors and ingredients that complement each other. There are renditions of Chinese cooking as well as Thai. The restaurant and food are presented with much thought down to the smallest details. Each of the Chef’s Specialty entrées are arranged and beautifully garnished with flowers made out of carrots, turnips, tomatoes, onions and other garden vegetables such as slices of cucumber and green onions that have been shredded and curled.

The Scene

You can sense the style as soon as you walk in the door of Best Lee’s.  There are two large, sparkling chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, casting a warm light in the dining room. A large, exquisite vase greets you in the waiting area as you enter. The interior is contemporary with modern-day elegance. Dark wooden tables and booths with white linens topped with a glass panel line the room. Overall, it has a very comfortable yet stylish feel to the atmosphere so that diners will want to keep coming back again and again.

The Food

Best Lee’s is not your typical Asian restaurant. Owner Xing Lee believes that healthy does not mean without flavor. At Best Lee’s, fresh means fresh; no canned vegetables here, so you cannot expect young baby corn or water chestnuts. You can expect fresh Asian vegetables not found in other Asian restaurants in the New Mexico area. Here, you can expect Chinese chives, fresh snap peas, watercress, shitake mushrooms, jicama, asparagus and many more. Only 100 percent vegetable oil is used in this kitchen, with absolutely no Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). They also offer many menu items that are steamed, with the choice of sauce on the side, and offer the option of brown rice.

One thing that Best Lee’s boasts is their willingness to modify any dish to the preference of the customer. The people of New Mexico love chili, so anything on the menu can be made spicy. Meat or extra seafood can be added. More sauce, less sauce, different sauce, no sauce, no problem.

To begin your meal, there are 10 great appetizer selections that include Chinese, Thai and Japanese options, including Best Lee’s specialty Thai Spring Rolls. These are crispy and fresh, hand-rolled daily and never frozen. Homemade potstickers can be either steamed or pan-fried with an option of either pork or vegetables.  They also offer lightly salted edamame, Cantonese barbecue spareribs, crab rangoons, Cantonese dim sum and an assortment platter. For guests that would rather start off with a lighter fare, they have scrumptious salad options such as the Chinese Grilled Chicken Salad, Thai Sweet Chili Salad with Shrimp or Chicken and Seaweed Salad.

Lunch and dinner combination plates are served with fried rice and your choice of either a Thai Vegetable Spring Roll served with a Thai Ginger sweet & sour sauce or a hot bowl of Pork Wontons in chicken broth, classic Chinese Egg Drop or Hot & Sour Soup. Starting in December 2008, Best Lee’s will host the chef’s “A Tour of Asia” monthly dinner specials, featuring different Asian country’s culinary delights, including the different provinces of China.

Best Lee’s is also kid-friendly, and has a selection of five menu items for the young ones. They can choose from Lace Fried Chicken, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Fried Jumbo Shrimp, Crab Rangoons or Sweet Red Wontons, all served with either fried rice or lo mein.

Let’s not forget old favorites. The Orange Chicken tastes like fresh orange juice and is lightly battered, unlike most others’ artificial flavor and chewy chunks like in most attempts at Orange Chicken. If a seafood fix is what is desired, try the Seafood Delight with an additional noodle nest. Large jumbo scallops, jumbo shrimp, surimi and half a lobster tail sit on a bed of crispy egg noodles, all of which are stir-fried with the chef’s selected Asian vegetables. The whole Yellow Fish is a good choice and is prepared in two different ways: steamed with ginger, scallions and light soy or crispy fried with the chef’s tangy, spicy and sour sauce. Other chef’s specialties include the classic Happy Family, Asian Grilled Lemongrass Chicken or Shrimp, Crispy Honey Walnut Chicken or Shrimp and Asian Style Duck  (served with mu shu pancakes).

Best Lee’s also carries a special menu for the tea connoisseur. Best Lee’s House Selections embody the kind of finish that you like: a slightly tangy, fruit and rich citrus finish with the Alpine Berry; smooth, gentle floral finish with the organic Chamomile; delicate, flowery and light finish of the Jasmine Pearl; the very slight tanginess with a hint of citrus finish of the Orange Sencha Smooth; and the gentle floral, soft finish of the White Peony.

No meal at Best Lee’s is complete without the complimentary house half-dipped chocolate fortune cookies! The house dessert menu includes the Chocolate Teton, Triple Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Sequinoa, Berry, Berry Tart and four selections of the Mini Me Desserts at mini prices.

Creativity brings Success

Along with delicious food and a great atmosphere, Xing Lee has come up with creative ways to bring in customers, even with a rocky economy. For example, when you fill out a card and put it the birthday and email box, you will receive an invite from Best Lee’s to come in to celebrate your birthday with your friends and family, and Best Lee’s will pay for your dinner (up to $10.88) and will give you a free Birthday Dessert! Periodically, they also send out special invites, specials and coupons by email. Another is the chance to sign up to win a Gourmet Lunch Party for eight. This offers a chance to be treated to a gourmet party of Best Lee’s chef’s specialties. Eight complimentary parties are given away each month.

With everything so well thought out and special touches made at every step of the way, Best Lee’s is sure to be a success!

Best Lee’s Asian Gourmet

La Cueva Town Centre

7900 Carmel Ave, Suite F

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87122